The Kriya Yoga Tree

The true Guru is God, the omnipresent pure Awareness

Krishna
In the Gita, Krishna declares that this imperishable Yoga has been handed down from one to another
through a line of royal sages.

Mahavatar Babaji
A legendary figure, Babaji is considered to be a perfected Being and embodied for centuries for the sole purpose of assisting enlightenment. Babaji is said to be identical with Krishna.
"The Kriya Yoga that I am giving to the world is the same science that Krishna gave to Arjuna"
Kabir is said to be one of Babaji's initiates.

Lahiri Mahasaya
Until the initiation of Sri Mahasaya, Kriya Yoga was reserved to selected Initiates.
When Lahiri was initiated by Babaji he was told to freely initiated any serious seeker.

Among Lahiri's many initiates:
Sri Yukteswar, Pranabananda, Ram Gopal, Keshavananda Avadhut,
Shastri Mahasaya, and Sri Tinkori Lahiri (the son of Lahiri Mahasaya)

Sri Yukteswar

Many disciples have been initiated and many teaching centers have been established by Sri Yukteswar.
His most famous disciple: Paramahansa Yoganada

Sri Tinkori Lahiri

Sri Satya Charan Lahiri (son of Tinkori Lahiri)

Sri Shibendu Lahiri (son of Charan Lahiri)

Paramahansa Yogananda

(1893 -1952)

Yogananda is said to have personally known Babaji, Mahasaya, and his Guru Sri Yukteswar. Against his inclination, Yogananda was chosen by Babaji and Sri Yukteswar to introduce Kriya Yoga to the West in 1920.

In "Autobiography of a Yogi", Babaji is quoted : "You are the one I have chosen to spread the message of Kriya Yoga in the West."
(p.344 hardcover / p.402 softcover)

For this purpose Yogananda wrote his inspiring Autobiography - now translated into many languages - initiated and ordained ministers, and founded Self-Realization Fellowship.

Among Yogananda's many direct disciples and initiates are:
Daya Mata, Roy Davis, Donald Walters, JJ Lynn, Sri Gyanamata

In the West, Kriya Yoga is spread mainly through:
Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), Spiritual leader: Daya Mata
Center for Spiritual Awareness (CSA), Spiritual leader: Roy E. Davis
Ananda Church of Self-Realization, Founder: Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters)

Basic books for Kriya Yogis are:
The Autobiography of a Yogi
The Bhagavad Gita
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

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